Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-01-03
THE LEGISLATURE.

OF the Legislature to convene to-day
the people Of California have the right to
expect prompt and wise action on all sub
jects the demand of the public need re-
quires to be taken up. We are prepared
to expect good work of the two houses,
and shall entertain no other belief than
that which credits their membership with
honesty of motive and sincerity in action,
until the testimony of fact necessitates
other judgment. We have no sympathy
with the sentiment that cultivates the
sheer at Legislatures. Those bodies are
the ultimate of the public judgment. I'm
der our system the Legislature is the last
expression of the popular voice in declar-
ing the will of society concerning modes of
government. 1t is entitled to the respect
due the agency which the people employ
to express their will, and is subject to cor
receive and protesting criticism on its fail
ure to discharge to the best advantage its
important functions. The legislator who
duly appreciates the exalted Office he
fills, must experience sense of the grayest
responsibility with which it is possible for
men in free government to be invested
Those who come to the discharge of the
obligations of the law-maker with full
comprehension of the duties assumed and
the responsibility involved are not very
likely to go wrong.
There may be error of Judgment in at
tempting to adjust the law to the needs
and desires of self-governing people ;
but that is the very least of possible ills
that may result. Erroneous Judgment on
the part of the individual is more than
likely to be corrected by the aggregate of
the judgments ola large body of represent
atives, if political bias, partisan-serving
and ignoble selishness are not permitted
to intervene. Until there are such de-
velopments we are bound to look upon the
law-making body of the people as repre-
sentative of the best thought, and dis
posed to conserve the highest public good
The Legislature will be the recipient of
unlimited advice as to the course it should
pursue-this is the prerogative alike of
the press and the individual citizen, and
ought to be received with that respectful
attention which the created body owes to
its creator; but the threats and menaces of
those who would warp and bias the legis-
lative mind to given courses of action not
approved by conscience and good judgment,
should excite no timidity on the part of
the representative. Courageous men alone
deserve the legislative seat; the morally
timid are wholly out of place in legisla-
tive halls,
Aside from the political issues thai may
be joined, there is not large number of
subjects that viii naturally come up for
consideration. The calendars may be-
possibly will be-overloaded, for it is the
unfortunate mistake new Legislators make
that they are to be weighed and Judged by
affirmative activity in proposing new meas
ures and amending old laws. If the mem
bers who have not had the profitable ex-
perience of this truth will restrain the dis
position to much legislate," as far as now
appears there viii be no reason why the
session should be unduly prolonged.
One of the chief offices of the commit
tees is to sift out the needless from the
needful measures. If it were possible-as
it viii be under reformed system some
day-for this TO be done more expedi-
tiously than now, the more important
measures could be got into form for con-
sideration within the first half of the con-
stitutional limit of the session. Until this
is done, we must expect to find the cal
endrs grow very unwieldly about the
middle of the term, after which the chief
struggles viii be over the advancement. =
rather than the consideration of measures.
Something of this, however-very much of
it, indeed-may be avoided by diligence of
labor in committee and the suppression of
the disposition 10 adjourn over" weekly.
1t has been said that these vacations really
hasten legislation by afFording committees
greater time. But observation proves that
comparatively little committee work is
accomplished in these too frequent re-
cesses. Some "adiournments over" are
needful and beneficial, but they should not
be taken, as has been too much the habit,
merely 10 conserve the desire to visit the
metropolis. With an earnest desire to
serve the public; with prompt committee
work; with vigor in debate, and the proper
manifestation BY the houses of dislike of
yer5osity in speech-making, the Legislators
will not find ii difficult to cover all needed